Enhanced Wireless Consortium proposes unified 802.11n standard

With the electronics industry seemingly always
afightin' and
afeudin', it's heart-warming to see companies
occasionally come together to standardize future protocols. The latest feel-good love-in we've seen comes as an attempt
to nail down the specs of next-gen WiFi
standard 802.11n, in the form of the Enhanced Wireless Consortium (EWC). This group, composed of such heavy-hitters
as Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Intel, Linksys, Sony, and US Robotics, has just submitted a proposal to the IEEE (the
governing body in these matters) calling for 600 Mbps transmission rates, while leaving the door open for other vague
additions such as Space Time Block Coding and beamforming. As is usually the case with these types of alliances, EWC
member companies were quick to publicly pat each other on the back while secretly hoping (we imagine) for one another's
downfall.